Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[enggass]

My experience has been that if a pullet hits point of lay at the same time that daylight hours are decreasing, she might wait until the following spring to begin laying. In those instances, the timing of first egg has more to do with increasing daylight hours rather than hold old the pullet is.

A similar phenomenom occurs in horses, and broodmares are routinely placed under lights in December, to trick them into cycling in early February so foals are born as close to January 1 as possible. Otherwise, the mares would be in "anestrus" and not cycle or have erratic cycles.

You can place your pullets under lights, but I don't know if it's worth the cost of electricity for a few weeks earlier egg production.

This is exactly what happened to me and my Lavs. Hatched them last April 2011 and I did not begin getting eggs from them until this past month... 10 months later...

 

[AinaWGSD]

Well, that was slightly disappointing

I got my first Ameraucana egg today from my crazy black pullet. And it was greener than the eggs my EE lays! Although at just shy of 2oz it's pretty big for a first egg. Oh well, blue yet again evades my egg basket.

 

[shesaredroan]

Well, that was slightly disappointing

I got my first Ameraucana egg today from my crazy black pullet. And it was greener than the eggs my EE lays! Although at just shy of 2oz it's pretty big for a first egg. Oh well, blue yet again evades my egg basket.

Hang in there Aina, depends on where your chicks/hatching eggs have come from.
These days, many folks selling don't understand the difference between ameraucana and EEs. Keep on keeping on....back in the olden days all I got were blue eggs, that grew up to produce blue eggs ....now the ameraucana eggs I order are more often green eggs I have several chicken friends who say they are having the same problem...that is,,,, people who SAY they are selling ameraucana eggs....yet they send green eggs. I believe these folks don't understand the difference.
Blue eggs are at least 1/2 ameraucana and green eggs are EEs.
If you are buying eggs, be sure to check on what color eggs they are selling before you buy.....if you are buying chicks, you just have to trust what they tell you.
I'm right there with you as far as being disappointed, one waits so many months for eggs only to discover you're not getting what you believed you were going to get. Been there/done that.
But be they blue or green, they are both pretty, and fine to eat.
Keep looking for those true blue egg layers and true ameraucana breeders!!!

 

[Lark Rise]

I feel your pain.

I'm still waiting on blue myself.
I do have an OE that lays a bluish egg.
All the colors are pretty though, but blue is elusive.

Well, that was slightly disappointing

I got my first Ameraucana egg today from my crazy black pullet. And it was greener than the eggs my EE lays! Although at just shy of 2oz it's pretty big for a first egg. Oh well, blue yet again evades my egg basket.

 

[dfdesigns]

This is exactly what happened to me and my Lavs. Hatched them last April 2011 and I did not begin getting eggs from them until this past month... 10 months later...

Me, too! Two Black Ams, hatched in April of 2011... I just started getting eggs in January. The other one finally laid TODAY! They are slow starters, but the pretty blue eggs are worth the wait.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:

I have to respectfully disagree. I get FABULOUS blue eggs from some of my EEs and many green eggs from my Ameraucanas - even from top, experienced breeders that absolutely know what they are doing. Egg colour in Ameraucanas still needs work. I saw that first hand at Crossroads last year.

Don't be totally discouraged if you are getting green eggs. Just keep working on it!! If you find someone with blue eggs out of birds you like, BUY THEM!!! Egg colour is not the ONLY thing to worry about breeding Ameraucanas. Just one thing.

 

[DMRippy]

I have to respectfully disagree. I get FABULOUS blue eggs from some of my EEs and many green eggs from my Ameraucanas - even from top, experienced breeders that absolutely know what they are doing. Egg colour in Ameraucanas still needs work. I saw that first hand at Crossroads last year.

Don't be totally discouraged if you are getting green eggs. Just keep working on it!! If you find someone with blue eggs out of birds you like, BUY THEM!!! Egg colour is not the ONLY thing to worry about breeding Ameraucanas. Just one thing.

x2 I have a PURE Ameraucana pullet that lays the greenest egg of all my chickens even my EE and she is a nice bird of high quality. The breeder she came from did not breed for egg color, but she had some nice birds. If egg color is the only problem I have I can work on that, green legs... I will not work with that in the Ameraucana pens. Some times you have to pick your fights, build the barn first as the saying goes.....

 

[sewandgrow]

I went crazy last season & ordered eggs from about 5 different Ameraucana breeders Paul Smith, Cindy Aultman, Robin Davis, Christine Kitsch & Harry Shaffer. The Lavenders took the longest to lay & are my greenest. My blue-est was from Pips & Peeps B/W Ameraucanas that I bought from Jeremy until the other girls kicked in this season. Many of them rival the B/W's blue. My Splash & blue girls give a nice blue egg as do the Black/splits. I have been plesantly surprised & have decided to do some OE with myt Black Split & Blue Ameraucana roosters over my Blue Copper Marans which lay a nice rich red/brown round egg. I have spent all this time getting rid of anything that was creossed withg anything else at all & now I am going to do it myself on purpose.....Go figure.....LOL

 

[pips&peeps]

I have to respectfully disagree. I get FABULOUS blue eggs from some of my EEs and many green eggs from my Ameraucanas - even from top, experienced breeders that absolutely know what they are doing. Egg colour in Ameraucanas still needs work. I saw that first hand at Crossroads last year.

Don't be totally discouraged if you are getting green eggs. Just keep working on it!! If you find someone with blue eggs out of birds you like, BUY THEM!!! Egg colour is not the ONLY thing to worry about breeding Ameraucanas. Just one thing.

I hope you were happy with the color on the eggs I got for you......

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:

Jean, I haven't been disappointed with a thing! Your birds aren't laying for me yet but I will say this. Your birds are FABULOUS! Type is over the top - really nice. HUGE birds. Excellent plumage and leg colour. Beetle green sheen to die for on the blacks even as juveniles. Beard and muffs over the top. Combs are truly pea; nice and tight, 3 rows and unobtrusive. Really nice birds to work with. 1 Blue pullet that is VERY exciting so far and both Black boys are very impressive. And they aren't even 15 weeks old! (Blue boy and Black girl are a bit juvenile scruffy but still have WAY more good about them them bad.)